Plate and cup supporting device



My 15, 1952 H. J. LE VESCONTE 2,603,439

PLATE AND CUP SUPPORTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 25, 1946 Patented July 15, 1952 STA E OFF EJJ? V 2,603,439 I v PLATE AND on? SUPPORTING DEVICE Harold). Le Vesconte, Glendale, Calif. I

V I 194 Serial No. 705,631

' This invention relates to a cup and plate supsand, dirt or insects are apt to get into the food all of which to manypeople provides a powerful deterrent'to What wouldotherwise be an enjoy? able occasion. I n V.

- Tooverconie these objections it is an object of the present invention to provide a support fora plate and cup or other beverage container in the form-of a collapsible assembly which when assembled maybe inserted in the ground and when so placed will position the plate and beverage at a distance above the ground .which with relation to a person seated on the ground is comparable in height to'the level of a table when a personis seated on a chair.

Another object of the invention is to provide a plate and .cup supporting meanswhich is seconstructed and arranged that when in use the plate supporting stake Will be prevented from turning. Still another object of the invention is to provide a plate support in which the means .forattaching it to the ground comprises .astake .of small diameter which may therefore. be inserted'in the ground with relative ease.

A stillifurther object of the invention is to provide a." device of the above character in which the supporting means is collapsible thereby making I it possible to pack the disassembled apparatus ina relatively small container. v.

:A still further object oithe invention is to so constructthe attaching means for the plate and the holder for a cup or other beverage container that they interlock to rigidly maintain the in assembly.-

' Still another object of the invention i to pro,- .vide, a device of theg'above described-character composed of fewfparts all 9f which are simple in design and which thereforecontribute to economy in manufacture, and to reliability and convenience in use. I V

. With the'foregoing objects in view, together with such other objects and advantages as may subsequently appear, the mVQntiOnreSidesint-he parts and in the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and -.cla imed',. and illustratedby way of example in t e em a n a a n hi the .elementil.

Fig. 1. is a top plan vi w slightly in perspective of the deviceassembled and positioned for use, 1 Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the deviceassembled and positioned foruse, Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the supporting means collapsed for, packing, Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary sectionalviews taken .on the lines 4-4 and 5-5 respectively of Fig. 2, Fig. 6 is an end elevation; of the holding means fora cup or other beverage container, and

Fig. 7 is-:.a top plan view of the, device assembled foruse, certain'oi the concealed parts being shown indottedlines; ,1, l In the former execution of theinvention shown in the. drawin s the device-comprises a plate I having son the undersidethereof, a, socket in. the form of aloop 2;-offmetal fixed theretoby any suitable means such as, soldering; brazing or welding. The loop -Z'i's relatively wide and shallow and accommodates the shanks 3 and 4-of the rebent end 5 of astake element 8. The stake element is formed of wire having considerable spring and thefreeend l of the shank 3 is bent downwardly to provide a grip so that in assemblythe shanks 3 and 4 may be sprung toward eachother to-permit easy insertion of the bend 5 into the loop 2 and upon release the shanks 3 and 4 will tend to separate and tightly engage the opposite-sides of the loop 2. Itwill be noted that the loop 2-is otsomewhat heavier metal than the plate and thatsince the end portions of the loop extend betweenthe shanks 3 and 4 of the rebent or loop end 5 of the stake element and the .plateit is possible to useia plate elementof light guage metal since the reactionbetween the stake and loop 2 is; entirely absorbedby the loop; a I a The stake assembly, in addition to theelement 5, i'ncludesa secondelement 8 which at its upper end is formed with a spiral 9 frictionally engagi the element 6 and terminating in a hand piece portion lllby whichit may be grasped; to

force itinto the ground; 'I he element linear its lower end i provided with a spiral portion ll which surrounds and frictionally engages theelemerit B and which thence extends laterally a=short distanceas at 12 and. terminates in a short pointed portion l3 offset frolnthe pointed portion' [Lot The holder for a-cup or other beveragecontainercomprisesa frame portion formed. of a relativelyheavy u shaped wire -l5 ,theouter ends J6 and ll oi? wh h are curved .outwardlyiawayfrom ward. each other to define a; sub;-

, elements. In assembly, the shank portions [9 and I9 are grasped and sprung toward each other and the rebent end is inserted within the loop 2 inside of the shanks of the loop of the stake element. Upon release, the shanks l8 and I9 will tend to spring apart thus aiding the shanks of the stake element loop in tightly engaging the side walls of the loop 2, the general arrangement be- While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention, I do not limit mying best shown in Fig. 5.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 7,:the shanks l9 and I9 and of sufiicient length to position thecurveci portions [6 and i1 slightly beyond 'theedge' of the plate I. Fixed to the shanks I8 and [9 at and 2| respectively are ends of U-shaped wires 22 and 23 which extend downwardly and thence laterally toward the free ends of the cup holder and thence upwardly to said ends to which they are afiixed with consequent" formation of a' vertical slot 25 through which the handle of a cup restingon the lateral portions of the wires 23 and 24 may project. Additionally, the cupholder is provided with a second series of U-shaped wires 26, 21 and 28 the lateral portions of which extend transversely to the wires 23 and 24 and which are interlaced therewith to form a bottom in the cupholder and to tie the free ends thereof together.

To put the device into use the plate and stake elements arefirst assembled, then the cupholding element is attached to the assembled plate and stake after which the collapsed stake assembly ispressed into theground until the lateral portion 12 of the stake element 6 comes into con tact therewith. Then by grasping the hand piece Ill the stake element 8 is forced downwardly into the ground with the straight portions of the stake element 6 acting as a guide for the upper end of the element 8. I

Since the spirals 9 and ll frictionally grip the Wires and since the plate and cupholder are fixed to the stake element the whole assembly is sufliciently rigidly attached to the ground to provide a satisfactory surface from which a person seated on theground may eat. It may be .loted further than when thus installed, the weakest point in resistance to bending if only a single stake element were used would be the point at the surface of the ground and that by the improved construction here disclosed, that point is substantially reinforced by the inter-engagement of the spiral portions of the wires with incident raising of the point of bending closer to the plate where it offers substantially more resistance.

Still further since the plate and cupholder are attached to the stake element 6 which is provided with an ofiset ground-engaging portion there will be no tendency of the assembly to i turn about the axis-of the stake element 8. Also due to the formation of the various parts a set of plates, stake assemblies and cupholders may be packed in'a container ofsmall size when not in Still another advantage lies in the fact that a device of 'this'character makes it unnecessary for the selection of a level spot of ground for picnic lunches since the plates will be held level re- 'gardless of the slope'of the ground and thus areas heretofore undesirable because of the'slope of the'ground are made available for picnics.

While the preferred size is that herein specifically disclosed, it will be appreciated that without departure from the invention, a some- What longer and stifier stake assembly may be selfto the exact details of construction set forth,

' and the invention embraces such changes, modifications and equivalents of the par-ts and their formation and arrangement as come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a positioning and holding apparatus for a cup and plate, a plate having a socket, a stake having one end adapted to be inserted in the ground and the other end adapted to engage said socket, and a holding means for a cup or the like also engageable with said socket, said stake comprising a pair of wires each of which has a ground engaging end and. a spiral portion surrounding the other wire, one of said wires having a loop at one end engageable with said socket.

2. In a positioning and holding apparatus for a cup and plate, aplate having a socket, a stake having one end adapted to be inserted in the ground and the other end adapted to engage said socket, and a holding means for a cup or the like also engageable with said socket, said stake comprising a pair of wires each of which has a ground engaging end and a spiral portion surrounding the other wire, one of said wires having a loop at one end engageable with said socket, said cupholder having a shank adapted to engage said socket within the confines of said loop.

3. In a positioning and holding apparatus for a cup and plate, a plate having a socket, a stake having one end adapted to be inserted in the ground and the other end adapted to engage said socket, and a holding means for a cup or the like also engageablewith said socket, said stake comprising a pair of wires each of which has a ground engaging'end and a spiral portion surrounding and slidable on the other Wire, one of said wires having a loop at one end engageable with said socket, said cupholder having a shank adapted to engage said socket within the confines of said loop, said loop being disposed in a plane normal to the axis of said stake and being normally of slightly greater width than said socket and having capacity to be momentarily decreased in width for insertion in said socket and thereafter to frictionally grip the sidewalls of said socket.

4. In a positioning and holding apparatus for a cup and plate, a plate having a socket, a stake havingone end adapted. to be inserted in the ground and the other end adapted to engage, said socket, and a holding means for a cup or the like also engageable with' said socket, said stake comprising a pair of wires each of which has a ground engaging end and a spiral portion surrounding theother wire, one of said wires having a loop at oneend engageable with said socket-said cupholder having a'shank adapted to engage said socket within the confines of said loop',said cupholder shank comprising a U- shaped wire adapted to becompressed for insertion into said socket and said loop on said stake and upon release to expand and frictionally engage said loop and increase the frictional engagement between said loop and said socket.

5. In a positioning and holding apparatus for a cup and plate, a plate having a socket, a stake having one end adapted to be inserted in the ground and the other end adapted to engage said socket, and a holding means for a cup or the like also engageable with said socket, said stake comprising a pair of wires each of which has a ground engaging end and a spiral portion surrounding the other wire, one of said wires having a loop at one end engageable with said socket, said cupholder having a shank adapted to engage said socket within the confines of said loop, said loop being disposed in a plane normal to the axis of said stake and being normally of slightly greater width than said socket and having capacity to be momentarily decreased in width for insertion in said socket and thereafter tofrictionally grip the sidewalls of said socket, said cupholder shank comprising a U-shaped wire adapted to be compressed for insertion into said socket and said loop on said stake and upon release to expand and frictionally engage said 100p and increase the frictional engagement between said loop and said socket.

6. In a positioning and holding apparatus for a cup and plate, a plate, a strap of metal secured to the underside of said plate and constructed and arranged to form a relatively wide, shallow socket, a stake having one end adapted to be inserted in the ground and the other end adapted to engage said socket and a holding means for a cup or the like also engageable with said socket, said stake comprising a pair of wires each of which has a ground engaging end and a spiral portion surrounding the other wire, one of said wires having a loop at one end engageable with said socket.

7. In a positioning and holding apparatus for a cup and plate, a plate having a socket, a platesupporting stake having one end adapted to be inserted in the ground and the other end adapted to engage said socket, and a holding means for a cup or the like also engageable with said socket, said cupholder having a shank extending from said socket to a point beyond the periphery of said plate and said cupholder at its free end having a slot arranged to provide clearance for the handle of a cup positioned in said holder.

8. In a positioning and holding apparatus for a cup and plate, a plate, a strap of metal secured to the underside of said plate and constructed and arranged to form a relatively wide, shallow socket, a plate-supporting stake having one end adapted to be inserted in the ground and the other end adapted to engage said socket and a holding means for a cup or the like also engageable with said socket, said stake comprising a pair of wires each of which has a ground engaging end and a spiral portion surrounding the 9. In a, device of the character described, the I combination of a plate and a stake means, said stake means comprising a pair of relatively slidable interengaging elements each of which at one end is adapted to be forced into the ground and one of which at its other end is adapted to have interlocking means engageable with said plate, said other element at its other end having means constructed and arranged to facilitate its being pressed into the ground to a greater extent than said plate engaging element, said sliding engagement between said elements operating to guide said last named element in its further penetration of the ground.

10. In a device of the character described, the combination of a plate and a stake means, said stake means comprising a pair of relatively slidable interengaging elements each of which at one end is adapted to be forced into the ground and one of which at its other end is adapted to have detachable interlocking means engageable with said plate, said plate engaging element having its ground engaging end offset laterally from said other element thereby becoming efiective when both elements are inserted in the ground to resist any turning tendency of said plate, said other element at its other end having means constructed and arranged to facilitate its being pressed into the ground to a greater extent than said plate engaging element.

. HAROLD J. LE VESCONTE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

